To fully appreciate this story you need to know two things about Asa.  First, Asa very rarely barks.  Second, if Asa gets even the slightest glimpse of his Imaginary Friend, he will wag with delight and quietly sit and stare at him.  That’s why a recent outburst directed at his silent friend has us all baffled.

It was a quiet evening.  I was standing guard at the window watching for deer.  Mom was in the kitchen cleaning up from dinner.  Dad was scrolling through Netflix looking for something to watch.  And Asa was chewing his Nylabone in front of the pellet stove.  When all of a sudden Asa let loose with a fit of barking!  Out of habit Mom and Dad simultaneously yelled, “Chuck Billy, stop it!”  But for once it wasn’t me!  I immediately ran over to see what was wrong.  Was there a spider on rug?  Did Asa notice the hole I accidentally put in his beloved Ms. Caterpillar?  Did the deer sneak past me and break into the house?  Why was he barking?  That’s when Mom realized Asa was unleashing his anger on his Imaginary Friend sitting in the pellet stove!

Thank goodness neither Mom nor Dad are fluent in dog, because Asa hurled some strong language at his reflective friend.  What could his Imaginary Friend have possibly done to provoke such a response?  As far as I can remember this happened only one other time at our grandparents’ house when Asa first noticed he was being watched.  But as you can see from this video, Asa vs. Asa, it was only because his friend startled him.  They became inseparable after that outburst.

Alas, we may never know what sparked this angry outburst.  I just hope they patch things up, so Asa’s Imaginary Friend doesn’t move out.  I kind of got use to him peeking at me from the oven door.